Before The Darkness
by dawn341
Summary: Second season story. Richie fears he might be going crazy.


Before The Darkness-by Dawn Cunningham

Standard disclaimers apply. Duncan, Tessa and Richie and most other characters belong to Rysher. Steven, Alicia, Dr. Wickers and Dr. Mathers are figments of my imagination.

This story takes place during the second season before the episode The Darkness. Hence the name.

* HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL

Before The Darkness-by Dawn Cunningham

"Mail call," Richie Ryan said as he bounced into the antique store's office, where Tessa Noel sat behind the desk working on the store's accounts. He laid the sorted mail down in piles. "Let's see-junk mail, bills, catalogs, and one air mail letter all the way from England." Richie waved the letter in front of Tessa's face.

"Give me that," Tessa exclaimed, grabbing the letter from the young man. She glanced at the return address. "It's from Steven. I wonder what he wants."

Richie watched Tessa slit open the envelope and extract the letter. "Steven who?" he questioned as he tried to read upside down.

"Steven Carter. He's an old friend of mine from the Sorbonne. I ran into him again just before we left Paris. He owns a gallery in London now. This says he's going to be here in Seacouver..." Tessa glanced at the calendar in front of her, "tomorrow! He wants to see my work and maybe place a few pieces in his gallery."

"Cool!" Richie beamed with pride at Tessa. "Maybe he'll devote his whole gallery to your art."

"I doubt that, Richie. Still, it's a very prestigious gallery and having even one piece shown there would be a great honor."

"So how long is he going to be here? And does this mean I'm going to be sleeping on the couch again?"

"No. He says that he's going to be here for a month checking out various galleries and artists. I think that's a little too long to ask you to give up your room. Besides, I'm sure he'll be more comfortable in a hotel. I'll get him a reservation just in case he hasn't made any plans. There's so much I have to do..." Tessa jumped to her feet and headed back to her workshop.

Richie just grinned, shook his head, and went back to his silver polishing. Tessa had threatened him with no dinner if he didn't finish that tedious chore by then. Everything had to be perfect before she would let them open the antique store again. Glancing at the clock he realized that in just four more hours he would be seeing Alicia. A smile grew on his face as he thought of the pretty brunette he had met two weeks ago at Helliman's Antiques. She had just started working there and he had been sent to pick up an antique vase for Mac. Tonight would be their fourth date.

Maybe it was time to let Mac and Tessa meet her. He hadn't even told them he was seeing anyone. Richie hoped they liked each other, not certain what he would do if they didn't. Tessa and Duncan had almost become family to him and he really wanted their approval of the woman he thought he might be falling in love with. He had already met Alicia's parents. While they hadn't seemed totally approving of him at least they hadn't hated him.

Alicia's eighteenth birthday was in a week and he couldn't decide what to buy her. He had been hoarding his money to buy a new leather jacket but he had decided he would prefer dipping into his savings to get her something really nice. Besides, his own birthday was coming up and he had dropped enough hints to Duncan and Tessa about what he wanted.

Alicia lived in a ritzy part of town and was probably used to getting expensive presents. He knew he could never compete with the gifts she would get from her parents but he did want to get her something she would like. Fortunately his own wardrobe had changed drastically, thanks largely to Tessa and Mac, so that he could take her to a nice restaurant to celebrate without looking out of place. Now all he had to do was convince Tessa to let him borrow her car for the occasion. That shouldn't be too difficult.

"Earth to Richie." Duncan's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Richie blushed when he realized that he hadn't heard Duncan come in. "Sorry, Mac. I guess my mind was on something else."

"Let me guess. Would that something be female?" Amusement colored the Highlander's voice.

Richie felt his face grow warm again, wishing he could figure out how to stop blushing. It was so embarrassing. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I've been standing here for two minutes trying to get your attention. What else could it have been?" Duncan teased the young man. "So who's the lucky lady that has all your attention?"

"Her name's Alicia Waterman. I've been seeing her for two weeks," Richie said somewhat defiantly.

"That long, hmmm? I'm impressed, it must be love. So what were you thinking about so hard?"

"I'm trying to decide what to buy her for her eighteenth birthday. Any suggestions?" Richie replied.

"Jewelry is always nice. Maybe some earrings or a bracelet."

Richie slapped his forehead with his hand. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that? That's a great idea, Mac. Thanks. I hope I can find something nice that I can afford."

"I could give you an advance on your salary, if that would help."

"You could give me a raise," Richie said hopefully.

"You just keep dreaming, Richie." Duncan laughed as he headed for the office. "In the meantime, I suggest you finish polishing the silver."

Richie sighed and went back to work. At least he had made Mac laugh, something the Immortal hadn't been doing much of lately. What with Darius' death, the Hunters determined to wipe out all Immortals, the discovery of the Watcher Society, and the death of Linda Plager, Mac hadn't been doing too much smiling or laughing lately. The final straw had been when he had to kill his friend, Michael Moore.

Richie still couldn't believe how different the personalities were that had shared one body. Michael had seemed like a quiet guy who wouldn't hurt a flea but his alter ego, Quentin Barnes, had killed without remorse and taken great pleasure in doing it. Richie wondered what it had been like for Michael to find out he had been killing all those people without even realizing it. It would be weird to find out that you had done things you couldn't even remember doing.

With a start, Richie realized that he had finished all the polishing while his mind had been wandering elsewhere. With a grin, he headed off to get ready for his date.

* HL *

The next morning Richie wandered into the kitchen where Tessa and Duncan sat drinking coffee and eating muffins.

"Have a good time last night?" Duncan asked.

"Oh, yeah," Richie replied with a silly grin on his face.

"So when are we going to meet this mystery girl?" Tessa inquired.

"Soon. I promise." Richie poured himself a glass of orange juice before sitting down at the table. He grabbed a muffin from the basket in front of Tessa. "When is that Steve guy supposed to get here?"

"His letter said he would be here sometime late afternoon. And his name is Steven not Steve."

"Excuuuuse me! Sounds pretty stuck up to me." Richie turned to Duncan. "So what's on the agenda for today, boss?"

"I'm expecting several shipments of antiques this morning. I'll need your help getting everything unpacked, checked for damage, and inventoried," Duncan replied. "Hopefully, we'll get it all done by early afternoon."

"Great! That way I can take off and do some shopping, if that's okay with you?" Richie asked as he snagged another muffin from the basket.

"No problem, Rich. As soon as we're done, you can take off."

Richie and Duncan spent the morning unpacking crate after crate of antiques. Duncan had to remind Richie several times to keep his mind on what he was doing. They were down to the last two crates when Tessa came to the storage room escorting two people.

Richie's face lit up. "Alicia! What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Helliman asked me to bring these auction announcements over to Mr. MacLeod." Alicia's eyes turned towards the other man in the room. "Are you Mr. MacLeod?"

"Yes, I am. But please call me Duncan. And you must be Alicia. You must forgive Richie, he forgets his manners around beautiful women."

Duncan took the papers from the young woman while studying her. She was the same height as Tessa although not quite as slim. Her brown hair was worn in tight ringlets down to her shoulders. Her face was heart shaped and her brown eyes seemed to shine as she looked at Richie. She couldn't be described as beautiful but she definitely qualified as pretty.

Everything about Alicia indicated money, lots of money. From her stylish suit, her obviously expensive leather boots, down to the jewelry she wore. Duncan seriously hoped that Richie wasn't setting himself up for a major disappointment, especially considering their discussion of gifts yesterday. There was no way that Richie could afford to buy her any jewelry like she was wearing right now.

Duncan's thoughts were interrupted as Tessa stepped forward with the other newcomer. "Steven, I'd like you to meet Duncan MacLeod and this is Richie Ryan. And you've already met Alicia out front."

The men shook hands as Duncan checked out Tessa's friend. The blond haired, blue eyed man was the same height as himself and about the same build. But where Duncan's body was all muscle, Steven's was beginning to show the signs of a more sedentary lifestyle. Still, Duncan thought that many women would consider this man's refined features very handsome.

The five of them spent some time discussing the antiques that Duncan and Richie had just unpacked. Finally, Alicia announced that she had to get back to the store.

"I'll walk you to your car," Richie offered quickly.

Tessa and Steven headed back to her workshop, while Duncan continued unpacking his crate. Twenty minutes later, Richie showed up again.

"I think that lipstick looked better on Alicia," Duncan teased. "No wonder it took so long to walk her to the car. I thought she must have parked two miles away."

Richie grinned sheepishly as he scrubbed at his face with his hand. "Sorry, Mac. So what did you think of Alicia?" he questioned anxiously.

"She seems like a nice young woman," Duncan replied. He debated voicing his concerns over her wealth but decided to stay out of it. For all he knew, she could be a very nice person who would never make an issue out of money or the cost of gifts. The fact that she was working when she probably didn't have to was a plus on her side. He saw Richie glance anxiously at his watch. "If you want to leave now, Rich, go ahead. I can finish up here."

"Thanks, Mac."

Richie made a detour through the kitchen on his way out. He grabbed an apple from the refrigerator and headed to the back door through Tessa's workshop. Tessa and Steven were on the catwalk looking through her portfolio of designs. "Hey, Tess, I'm leaving now. Do you need me to run any errands while I'm out?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Could you pick up the dry cleaning for me?" Tessa knew what his next question would be. "Yes, you can take my car. If you'd get my purse from the bedroom, I'll give you the ticket stub and money to pay for it."

"No problem," Richie replied. Minutes later he returned with her purse.

Tessa dug through her purse, finding the car keys, dry cleaning ticket and her wallet. She pulled two twenty dollar bills out of it, then changed her mind and replaced the money, reaching for her checkbook instead. She signed one of the checks and handed everything to Richie. "I don't know how much it's going to cost so a check is probably better," she explained. "Be sure to get a receipt so that I can write the amount down later in the check register."

Richie gave Tessa a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

Tessa turned back to Steven and found him with a frown on his face. "I'm sorry for the interruption," she apologized.

"It's not that," Steven replied. "It's just that Richie seemed awfully ...familiar for an employee."

"Oh, Richie is more than an employee," Tessa explained. "He's almost like family and even lives with us."

"He *lives* with you? How did he manage that?"

"Duncan caught him breaking into the shop over a year ago. Instead of filing charges, he decided to give him a job and a home. Richie's had a rough life, in and out of foster homes and orphanages, and Duncan felt that he had a lot of potential that would go to waste sitting in jail." Tessa hoped her explanation would satisfy Steven. She couldn't tell him about Richie seeing an Immortal battle and Quickening.

"You hired a *thief* and took him into your home! And you just gave him a blank check! Are you mad, Tessa?"

Before Tessa had a chance to reply, a noise drew her attention to the back door. Richie stood there, face pale and hands clenched. He must have heard at least part of their conversation. "Richie..." she started before the young man turned and ran out the door. Before she got to the foot of the stairs she heard her car start and race out of the alley. Tessa returned to her seat on the catwalk.

"I want you to understand something. Richie is *not* a thief anymore. I really shouldn't have told you that without asking his permission first. I would appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself. He is a *very* good friend and I trust him implicitly." Tessa's tone left no room for argument.

"Of course I won't say anything, Tessa. It was wrong of me to question you about him anyway." Steven turned back to the design sketches in front of him.

Later that evening, as they prepared to go out for dinner, Tessa told Duncan about what had happened. Richie still hadn't returned and she was starting to worry.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Duncan," she declared. "It's just that Steven is such an old friend and we used to share everything when we were studying together. When he asked about Richie, I just blurted everything out. How could I be so stupid?"

"You're not stupid, Tessa. You spoke without thinking is all. I'm sure once you explain everything to Richie and apologize, he'll forgive you."

"I'm not even sure he's going to come back, let alone forgive me."

"Of course he'll come home. A year ago I would have had my doubts but he's changed, grown up a lot since then. He's probably mad and maybe a little hurt right now but eventually he'll show up and all will be forgiven." Duncan checked his watch. "Are you ready to go? Steven and Natalie will be wondering where we are."

Tessa had invited Natalie to join them for dinner. Tessa's friend had managed to move past the trauma of almost being scalped and killed by a serial murderer over six months earlier. She also knew Steven from the Sorbonne and Tessa had long thought they would make the perfect couple.

Duncan spent most of the dinner listening to the other three reminisce about the years they had spent together. It brought some enlightening glimpses into Tessa's past. He brought up one of them on the way home.

"It sounds to me like you and Steven were a hot item back then. Should I be worried?" Duncan asked in a teasing manner.

"We were very close friends and for a while I thought I loved him. It took a very strange man who came running down the dock and leaped across the water onto my tour boat, and later swept me off my feet, to show me what love truly meant. If I hadn't met you, we may have eventually married but I doubt I would have been even half as happy with him as I am with you."

"Are you sure, Tessa?" Duncan queried in a more serious tone. "I know it hasn't been easy for you since I got mixed up in The Game again."

"Yes, I'm sure. I love you, Duncan. Nothing will change that. Oh, look," Tessa exclaimed as they pulled into the alley behind the store. "There's my car. Richie must be home." The T-bird had barely come to a stop before she had her door open and was climbing out of the car.

Tessa hurried inside. Richie's bedroom door was closed but she could see light coming from beneath the door. She tapped lightly on the door. "Richie, can I come in and talk to you?"

"Yeah," came the muffled reply.

Tessa opened the door and went in. Richie still wore the clothes he had on earlier that day and was half sitting, half lying on the bed watching the television. When he made no move to turn off the TV using the remote, she walked over and turned it off manually, before sitting on the bed next to Richie.

"I want to apologize for this afternoon," Tessa started. "I had no business telling Steven anything about your past."

"It's okay." Richie shrugged but continued to stare at the now blank TV screen, refusing to look at Tessa. "After all, it was the truth."

"No, it's not okay. I was wrong and I really do feel sorry about the whole thing. I promise I will never do it again. Will you forgive me?"

Richie finally brought his gaze up to Tessa's face. "Sure, Tessa. I forgive you." The wry smile that crossed his face soon turned into a big grin as he continued to look at her.

"What?" Tessa asked. "Do I have food or something on my face?" She turned and looked in the mirror over the dresser.

"No, you don't. It's just that I'm usually the one apologizing and asking for forgiveness, not you," Richie explained.

"It is a bit of role reversal isn't it? It just proves that everyone can make mistakes." Tessa smiled at Richie before changing the subject. "Did you get your shopping done?"

Richie practically leaped off his bed in his eagerness to show Tessa what he had bought. All thoughts of how mad he had been earlier were gone, replaced with a need for approval of his purchase. He took a jewelry box off the dresser and returned to the bed, sitting next to Tessa. "What do you think?" he asked as he flipped open the box.

"Richie, it's beautiful. May I?" Tessa asked. At Richie's nod, she removed the gold bracelet from the box and held it up to the light.

"They called it a diamond cut. See how it reflects the light. It almost looks like it has diamonds in it. Do you think Alicia will like it?"

"She'd be crazy not to, Richie. It's gorgeous."

"Um...Tessa...could I..." Richie broke off in embarrassment.

"What?"

"Um...could I practice putting it on you because I want to put it on Alicia myself but I'm afraid I'll be too clumsy and drop it or not get it fastened right and I thought if I practiced some that maybe I could do it right so I thought of you and if you don't mind..." Richie finally ran out of air.

"Of course I don't mind. My wrist is at your disposal." Tessa giggled as she held her arm out.

Richie practiced putting the bracelet on Tessa five times before he was satisfied he could do it easily. "Thanks, Tess."

"You're welcome, Richie. I'll let you get back to your television show." She placed a kiss on his cheek before standing up. "Good night."

"Good night, Tessa."

Tessa's last glimpse as she shut the door was of Richie still admiring the bracelet he had bought.

Over the next few days, Duncan and Richie spent most of their time trying to get the antique store ready to reopen. Tessa spent her days with Steven-in her workshop, visiting different galleries in the city, or visiting places where Tessa's work was on display to the public. Steven would often wander around the store and living quarters when Tessa was interrupted by phone calls. He and Duncan had several long talks about the similarities between running a gallery and an antique store, even discussing the software that each of them used to keep track of inventory and to keep the books.

Steven had been told to make himself at home and one afternoon Richie found him looking in the refrigerator.

"I wouldn't advise drinking that," he warned Steven, who was holding a bottle of brown liquid.

"Why not?" Steven looked puzzled.

"It tastes horrible! That's one of Mac's high protein drinks. Neither Tessa nor I can stand the stuff. He swears it's good for us but he'd have to tie me down to get me to drink it again."

"Thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll stick to the orange juice instead."

"No problem," Richie said before heading back to the storeroom. He felt more comfortable around Steven once he had gotten over the embarrassment of having a total stranger know about his past. Steven had even invited him to dinner one night along with Tessa and Duncan, taking them to a very fancy restaurant. When the conversation had turned to art, Richie could tell that Steven was surprised at how much the younger man knew on the subject. All those afternoons when Tessa had hauled him around the Louvre had finally paid off.

Late the next morning, Tessa came in the front door of the shop. "Mac, I need some money to pay the taxi driver."

Duncan shot her a puzzled look before going out to the street and paying the fare. He knew that she had left earlier in the day with Steven to go to a gallery and he was brimming with questions when he came back inside. "Why did you take a taxi home? Where's Steven?"

"Steven and Mr. Van Cleef, the owner of the gallery, decided to go to lunch together. I decided to come home instead so I took a taxi. It's a good thing you were here because for some reason I don't seem to have any money in my purse." Tessa looked confused. "I could have sworn that I had forty dollars still. Did you take any money from my purse?"

Duncan occasionally had to borrow money from Tessa when he couldn't get to the bank or had to pay cash for some unexpected purchase, but not this time. "Sorry, Tess. I haven't touched your wallet lately. What about you, Rich?"

Richie looked startled. "Of course not! I wouldn't take your money without asking first!" he exclaimed, his face turning red.

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Duncan soothed him. "I just thought you might have had to pay for a delivery or something and just forgot to tell us."

"Not me."

"Well I must have spent it somewhere! I'm sure I'll remember where eventually," Tessa said. "Why don't you two get cleaned up while I make lunch."

Richie headed back to his bedroom. Once inside the room with the door safely shut, he pulled his wallet out and took two crisp twenty dollar bills from it. He stared guiltily at the money before hiding it under some clothes in his top dresser drawer.

He had found the money sitting on his dresser earlier that day, after Tessa and Steven had left. He had assumed that Duncan or Tessa had left it there as a gift. Thinking about it now, he wondered why he had jumped to that conclusion-they had never given him money that way before. He had planned on thanking them at lunch but now he didn't know what to do. If he tried to give it back, they might think he had stolen it in the first place. If Tessa had left it there that morning, she would have remembered and Duncan hadn't said anything. Either way, he knew he couldn't spend it. He would have to find some way to sneak it back into Tessa's purse without her knowing about it.

Duncan noticed that Richie seemed quiet and subdued throughout lunch and most of the afternoon. Fearing that Richie was upset about being questioned earlier, he decided to talk to him about it when they took a break in the afternoon.

"Are you still upset about this morning? I wasn't questioning your honesty, Rich."

"I know you weren't, Mac." Richie refused to meet Duncan's eyes.

"Is there something else bothering you? You seem awfully quiet." Duncan continued to prod him.

"Of course not," Richie answered quickly. "I guess my mind has been on other things."

"Alicia?"

"Yeah," Richie lied. "I can't wait to see her tonight."

Duncan remained unconvinced but let the subject drop.

* HL *

The next morning Richie searched through his closet for the shirt he wanted to wear. Seeing a sweatshirt lying on the floor, he could hear Tessa's voice echoing through his mind about keeping his room picked up or else. When she used that tone of voice, Richie didn't want to know what 'or else' meant. He grabbed the sweatshirt and felt something roll out of it, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

Richie sank to his knees in horror and picked up the only recognizable piece that was left. Looking down at the head of an antique Dresden figurine, he almost wanted to cry at its destruction. He had fallen in love with the figurine at first sight the day he unpacked it. It had reminded him of Alicia. Once he saw the ten thousand dollar price tag, he'd been convinced that it wouldn't sell too quickly and he would be able to enjoy seeing it every day. Now it wouldn't sell at all.

Why had it been in his closet and wrapped in his sweatshirt? And how was he going to explain this to Duncan? The vision of an irate Highlander only increased the churning of his stomach. He swallowed heavily several times, trying to get the nausea under control, as he struggled to figure out what he was going to do.

He finally decided to tell Duncan he dropped it while dusting and hope that he would believe it. He grabbed the first shirt he touched from the closet and slipped it on before sneaking into the kitchen to get the broom and dustpan. Discovering a note from Duncan saying that he had some errands to run that would take several hours brought a huge sense of relief. Richie knew that Tessa and Steven had made plans to visit another gallery that morning, so they wouldn't be around either. He couldn't believe his good luck. No one would know that the figurine had been broken in his room.

When Duncan returned from his errands, Richie showed him the broken figurine. "I'm sorry, Mac. I...I dropped it while I was dusting."

"Richie! How many times have I warned you about being careful? I suppose you were too busy thinking about Alicia to pay attention to what you were doing!" Duncan scowled at Richie.

"That's not what happened! It was an accident. Besides, the insurance should pay for it."

"That's not the point, Richie. The more damage there is, the higher the insurance premiums. I still end up paying for it." Duncan sighed at Richie's crestfallen expression. "Okay, accidents do happen. Just try to be more careful in the future."

Duncan headed for the office and Richie went back to cleaning up the packing material spread across the storeroom floor, trying to ignore the guilty feeling that kept nagging him.

An hour later, Duncan appeared in the storeroom just as Richie was putting the broom away. "This was just delivered for you," Duncan said as he handed Richie a large box with a local department store logo embossed on the top.

"What is it?" Richie asked in confusion.

"I haven't a clue." Duncan watched curiously as Richie opened the box and pulled a leather jacket from it.

A piece of paper fluttered to the floor and Duncan picked it up. It was a bill for twelve hundred dollars charged by Richie Ryan to the account of Duncan MacLeod. Last year after the teenager had moved in with them, Duncan had authorized several stores to let Richie charge to his accounts. Richie had needed new clothes badly and it made more sense to have him charge his purchases than giving him cash or a blank check each time. Duncan had made it quite clear then that any abuse of the privilege would not be taken lightly. If anything, it had been hard to convince the young man to charge clothes. Richie's pride had considered it charity-something he refused to accept-until Duncan had pointed out that he had to dress nicely to work in the store.

"Do you want to explain this?" Duncan asked. "When I put your name on my account at the store, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"There must be some mistake, Mac. I didn't charge this!" Richie had gone pale when he saw the bill.

Duncan stared at him for several moments. "I believe you. Why don't we call the store and see if we can get this mess straightened out."

Twenty minutes later, Duncan looked over at Richie, fidgeting in the chair on the other side of the desk. "The manager said she received a phone call yesterday from a Richie Ryan asking for the coat to be delivered here and charged to my account. She waited on you several days ago when you first looked at the coat and described you perfectly. Ring any bells?"

"I was there the other day when I was looking for Alicia's present. And yes, I did look at the coat. In fact, I told Tessa and Steven all about it at lunch the day after I saw it. But I didn't call them. Honest!" When Duncan continued to look at him in disbelief, Richie jumped to his feet and ran out the front door, ignoring the voice calling his name.

Richie wandered around the streets in a confused daze trying to figure out what was going on. Could he have taken the money and the figurine and ordered the coat and yet not remember doing it? A thought flashed through his mind and he came to an abrupt halt. "Michael," he muttered out loud. Changing direction, he headed to the library.

Four hours later, even more confused and worried, he closed the last book he had pulled from the shelves. There hadn't been much information on multiple personalities because they were very rare. Each documented case had involved someone who had been abused in some manner as a child. A person suffering from multiple personalities seldom realized what was happening. Some of the cases talked of blackouts that lasted for days or weeks when another personality had control. Others never realized that they were jumping from one personality to another.

The only way to diagnose a split personality was to see a psychiatrist, something Richie couldn't afford to do. For now, he decided to wait and see if anything else happened. If it did, he would talk to Duncan and get his advice. He headed home, his stomach reminding him that he had missed lunch.

Richie entered the store through the door that opened onto the catwalk. He could see Tessa and Steven talking in the store below as he skipped quickly down the stairs in his usual haphazard way.

"Richie! How many times have I told you to walk down those stairs," Tessa scolded. "One of these days, you're going to fall and break your neck."

"Might be better if I did," Richie muttered under his breath as he headed to the kitchen to find something to snack on until dinner time.

Tessa heard Richie mumble something as he went by but couldn't make out what he said. She continued walking with Steven to the door while they discussed the plans for the next day. As she watched him head for his car, she saw Alicia's convertible pull up and waited to greet the girl. "Hello, Alicia."

"Hi, Tessa. Is Richie home?"

"Yes he is. Please come in."

"Um...could you ask him to come out here? I'd like to speak to him in private."

"Certainly," Tessa replied, confusion evident in her tone. "I'll send him out right away." She found Richie in the kitchen and told him Alicia was outside, then joined Duncan in the living room.

Duncan looked up when Tessa came in. He patted the couch by his side with a smile and she joined him. He told Tessa about the leather jacket and Richie's denial of buying it. "It just doesn't make sense, Tessa. Richie looked too surprised when he saw the jacket, to say nothing of the bill. But why would anyone go to all that trouble without getting something out of it?"

"Maybe one of his friends is playing a practical joke on him or trying to get him in trouble," Tessa suggested.

They both looked up in surprise when Richie charged into the room, a piece of paper clenched in his fist. His face was stormy, his body tense, and anger radiated from him in waves.

"How could you do this to me?" he yelled at Tessa, waving around the paper. "Weren't you satisfied that you blurted out my past to *your* friend? Now you have to tell *my* friends! Why don't you just take out a big ad in the paper with my life story. Then the whole town will know. Think of the time you'll save," Richie ranted.

Tessa sat in shocked silence, unable to figure out what Richie was talking about. Duncan rose to his feet as Richie moved closer. He had never seen the young man this angry before.

"Well, I hope you're happy that you've ruined my life," Richie continued his raving. "I'll go pack my things and get out of your life. Or maybe you'll want to do it for me just to make sure that I don't pack anything that doesn't belong to me. After all, you can't trust us criminals."

"Calm down, Richie," Duncan ordered as he grabbed the younger man's arm. "Now what is this all about?"

Richie struggled to free his arm. "Did you know about this too?" he asked Duncan. "Or maybe you even helped her! Yeah, I can see it now, Tessa dictating to you while you typed it on the computer. Did you laugh and joke about it while you were doing it? Did you?"

Duncan hauled Richie over to a chair and pushed him into it. When Richie tried to get back up, Duncan pushed him down again. "Just sit there, Richie," Duncan ordered, anger starting to creep into his voice. "Now start from the top this time and try to make sense."

Richie glared at Duncan for several long moments before the anger drained from his body and he slumped in the chair. "It doesn't matter anymore. If you wanted me to leave, all you had to do was ask. I'll just go pack my things. It shouldn't take too long." He started to rise from the chair only to be pushed back down by Duncan.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain what this is all about," Duncan insisted.

Tessa moved over by Richie and placed a hand on his arm. "We don't want you to leave, Richie."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Do *what*? I don't understand."

Richie saw the confusion in Tessa's eyes. When he looked at Duncan, he saw the same thing. "This." He shoved the paper at Tessa.

Tessa smoothed out the paper and started to read. She gave a gasp as the words sank in. "Richie! I didn't do this!" Tessa passed the paper over to Duncan.

Duncan quickly scanned the letter. It had been printed on a piece of stationary with the antique store's letterhead across the top, and spelled out Richie's past. Everything from the fact that Richie had been an orphan and in and out of foster homes and orphanages all his life, to the many crimes he had been charged with as a teenager, ending with the failed break-in at the antique store.

"Alicia said that a kid hand delivered the letter to her this afternoon at Helliman's. She told me that she didn't want to see me again. That she didn't want to associate with criminals," Richie explained in a subdued voice.

"Why do you think that we sent her the letter?" Duncan questioned.

"It was typed on a piece of stationary from this store. That narrows down the list of possibilities, doesn't it?" Richie replied cynically.

"Well I didn't write it," Tessa declared. "I made you a promise the other night, Richie, and I intend to keep it. Besides, I didn't even know some of those things."

"I didn't send it either," Duncan said as he glanced at the letter again. "Tessa is right, there are things listed here that I didn't know either."

Richie looked back and forth between them. "Then who did this?"

"It could be anybody," Duncan theorized. "It wouldn't be that difficult for someone to take a blank sheet of our stationary from the office. Do you have any friends that might be mad enough at you to do this?"

Richie shook his head no.

"Okay, I have an idea. Come with me." Duncan led them into the office where he turned on the computer. A few minutes later, he looked at Richie. "This was definitely printed from this computer. I found the file it was printed from. The time stamp on it is from this morning ...when you were here alone, Rich."

Richie went pale as Duncan showed him the file. "Oh, no," he muttered before fleeing to his room.

Duncan quickly followed, Tessa not far behind. When he got to Richie's room, he discovered the door was locked. "Open up, Richie," he called as he pounded on the door. After several minutes of frustrating wait, he put his shoulder to the door and forced it open. Richie sat huddled on the bed, arms wrapped around himself. They sat down on the bed beside him, and Duncan reached out and gently touched Richie's arm. "We need to talk about this, Rich. Running away isn't going to solve anything."

"There's nothing to solve," Richie replied. "I'm going crazy, nuts, bonkers, psycho, loony, insane. Take your pick."

"Why do you think that?"

"How else can you explain everything? The coat, the letter, the money, the figurine. It all adds up."

"What money? And what about the figurine?" Duncan asked.

Richie gave a deep sigh, climbed off the bed and went to his dresser. He dug the money out from its hiding spot and brought it back to Tessa. "I don't remember stealing it, but I must've. I found it on my dresser. I must've stolen the figurine too. It was wrapped in my sweatshirt on the floor of my closet. When I picked up the shirt, it fell out and broke."

Richie turned his back to Duncan and Tessa, pressing his hands against his eyes in an effort to ease the stinging sensation that filled them.

Tessa got to her feet, took Richie's hand and led him back to the bed. "You can't remember taking these things?" Tessa asked as she pulled him down to sit between her and Duncan.

"No. I...I think I'm like Michael Moore, multiple personalities in one body. One part of me is stealing these things and the other part of me doesn't know about it."

"Are you having any blackouts?" Duncan asked gently. "Any blocks of time that you can't account for?"

"Well... there was that day I was polishing the silver. I can remember starting it and talking to you, Mac, but the next thing I knew, it was done."

"Your mind was on other things at the time, Rich," Duncan replied with a smile. "I don't think that qualifies as the same thing. Were there any other times?"

"No. But I checked it out at the library today. Sometimes the person just isn't aware of time going by. Especially if it's short periods. And all the cases involved someone who had been a victim of..." Richie's voice trailed off and he jumped to his feet again.

Duncan heard the unspoken words... child abuse. He'd done his own research after Michael, trying to understand what had happened. He knew that Richie had a lot of secrets buried in his past but the young man seldom let anything slip. He hoped that some day Richie would open up and tell them about his life before they met him, but he obviously wasn't ready yet. Besides, this wasn't the time to go into that.

Duncan stood and moved in front of Richie, placing one hand on each of his shoulders. "Richie, multiple personalities are very rare. I'm sure there's a much simpler explanation for what's been happening. But just to make sure, I'll find a good psychiatrist for you to talk to. In fact, I know just the person. His name is Sean Burns and he's an old friend of mine. I'll give him a call and see if he can fly out here from Paris."

"Old as in Immortal old?" Richie questioned. Duncan nodded in agreement. "But I'm not Immortal! How can he help me?"

"He treats mortals all the time. The fact that he's Immortal should help out because you won't have to worry about letting anything slip about us. Come on, let's go to my office and call him."

"While you're doing that, I'll make something for dinner," Tessa said.

Twenty minutes later, Duncan and Richie joined her in the kitchen. She took one look at their crestfallen expressions and knew the phone call hadn't gone as planned. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Wouldn't your friend come out here?"

"Yes, he's coming. But not for at least a week. He can't get away any sooner than that," Duncan replied.

"Fine. Then we'll find a psychiatrist here."

"I'd prefer to wait for Sean. As I said before, it will be much easier on Richie if he doesn't have to worry about letting the fact that I'm Immortal slip out."

"But, Mac," Richie protested. "What if I do something really bad between now and then?"

"We'll just have to keep an eye on you, try not to leave you alone. But I'll leave it up to you, Rich. If you want to see a local doctor, I'll arrange it."

"I don't know what to say," Richie sighed. "I guess if you promise not to leave me alone, I can hold out a week."

"I promise," Duncan replied.

After dinner, the three of them moved into the living room, where Duncan lit a fire. Richie spent most of the evening staring into the flames, deep in thought. Finally he announced that he was going to bed. A few minutes later, Richie returned to the room, holding the jewelry box in his hand.

"Tessa, I'd like you to have this." Richie handed the box to her. "I'm sorry I accused you of sending that letter to Alicia. You would never do anything that mean or spiteful."

Tessa reluctantly took the box. "Are you sure, Richie? You can still get your money back for it."

"No, I want you to have it. Unless you really don't like it and were too polite to say so." Uncertainty crept into Richie's voice.

"I loved it, Richie. I think it's a beautiful bracelet. Thank you very much." Tessa flipped open the jewelry box.

"What?" Richie demanded when he saw a shocked look cross her face. He grabbed the box from Tessa's hands and looked inside. "Oh, no, not again," he muttered as he stared at the diamond bracelet that Mac had given Tessa for her thirty fifth birthday. He handed the box back to Tessa and fled to his room.

Tessa and Duncan exchanged concerned looks before once again heading to Richie's room. The young man was frantically pawing through his dresser drawers, flinging clothes all over the room.

When he heard them come in, he looked up in panic. "I can't find it anywhere!"

"Calm down, Richie. The bracelet is so small it could be tangled up in something," Tessa said. "Let's go through each piece of clothing before putting it back in the drawer. That way we won't miss anything."

It didn't take long for the three of them to search through the clothes in the dresser. There was no sign of the bracelet.

Richie collapsed on the bed with a moan. "I can't believe this. I suppose it's a good thing that Alicia broke up with me. Just imagine the shock I would have gotten when I went to give the bracelet to her."

"The bracelet will turn up somewhere, Richie. But right now, I think we all need to go to bed. Maybe a good night's sleep will help," Tessa suggested optimistically.

Tessa had a feeling that Richie wouldn't sleep very much that night. She doubted she would either. The thought of Richie becoming like Michael Moore worried her in many ways. Over the past year, she had grown to love Richie, even if he was exasperating at times. She hated to see him in this much anguish. She also remembered when Michael, or rather Quentin, had tried to strangle her and couldn't help but wonder if some day Richie might try to hurt her too.

Tessa and Duncan headed for their room. As Tessa took off her earrings, she wondered if the bracelet might have been left with her jewelry. She sent Duncan to look in the office safe where she kept the valuable pieces while she searched through her various boxes of costume jewelry. Normally, the diamond bracelet would have been kept in the safe, but she had worn it the night they went out to dinner with Steven and Natalie and hadn't gotten around to putting it back yet. Not that that meant anything-Richie knew the combination to the safe too.

Duncan came back and reported that he hadn't found the bracelet nor could he see any other pieces missing. Tessa continued her search but it was a failure too. She changed into a nightgown and joined Duncan in bed. They discussed the situation for quite a while, trying to come up with another answer.

"The only other person who has been in the shop recently has been Steven," Duncan said.

"Steven wouldn't have any reason to do this," Tessa defended him. "Besides, he was with me this morning when that letter got typed into the computer. And I didn't tell him all those things about Richie."

"Okay. So everything points back to Richie. But why now? He's lived with us for more than a year and all of a sudden this starts happening. Nothing makes sense."

"Hopefully, your friend Sean can help him. I just wish he could get here sooner."

"Even if he discovers the problem, Tessa, it could take years for the treatment to help. This isn't going to be a problem that will go away overnight. Are you prepared for that?"

"I don't know, Duncan. I *do* want to help Richie get better but our lives must go on too. And if something should happen to you..."

"You'll manage somehow, Tessa. I'm sure of that." Duncan smiled at her with confidence. "It's too bad the body can't heal the mind like it heals a broken bone."

Tessa bolted upright in bed. "Maybe there's a medical reason for this," she said excitedly. "Remember when Gregor was here? Richie was knocked unconscious then. For that matter, Michael knocked him out, too."

Duncan pulled Tessa back down in his arms. "That's a great idea! You're wonderful. I'll take Richie to the doctor tomorrow and see if they can find anything wrong." He started to kiss her and soon they were occupied with other matters.

Duncan woke up early the next morning. The clock showed that it was just past four thirty. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep so he eased out of bed and went to Tessa's workshop to exercise. As he started his first kata, his mind refused to stop worrying about Richie. If the young man was developing multiple personalities, or even just suffering from some other mental problem, it did not bode well for when he became Immortal. The thought kept plaguing Duncan's mind that he might have to take Richie's head, should that happen, just like he had taken Michael's.

The thought of Richie kneeling in front of him as Michael had, waiting for the slice of his sword to end it all, brought the kata to an abrupt shuddering stop. Duncan wondered if he would be able to take Richie's head should it ever be necessary. The only way he had managed to take Michael's head was to remember his promise to his old friend to stop Quentin Barnes if Michael failed. While Michael had been a good friend, Duncan hadn't lived with him like he had lived with Richie. There wasn't any similarity between his feelings for Michael and his feelings for Richie. Duncan was certain that if he did have to take Richie's head, that it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Pushing those thoughts aside with great difficulty, Duncan resumed his kata, trying to empty his mind of everything but the exercise. Once his workout was done, Duncan headed to the kitchen and poured a glass of his protein drink. He took it with him to the bathroom, sipping it as he went. He turned on the shower and set the half empty glass down on the sink before undressing and stepping under the hot water. He felt the tension leave his body as the warmth penetrated. It wasn't until the water started to cool down that he roused himself enough to shampoo his hair and wash his body.

As he stepped from the shower, a wave of nausea flooded him, followed by severe abdominal cramps. He managed to stagger to the stool before violently emptying his stomach. It seemed to go on forever. He collapsed on the floor once the spasms were done, chills shaking his frame, no strength left in his body.

"Duncan, what's wrong?" Tessa's voice penetrated the ringing in his ears. She knelt down on the floor beside him, still in her nightgown, and brushed his wet hair back away from his face. She grabbed a towel to dry him off as much as possible.

"Poison," he managed to force out. He heard rather than saw Tessa get up and leave the room, and wondered why she had abandoned him on the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, she came back with Richie. The young man was only wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts and appeared to be half asleep until he saw Duncan sprawled on the floor.

Together they got Duncan to his feet and back to the bedroom. He tried to help as much as he could but Duncan knew that half of the time they dragged him along, supporting his full weight. They gently laid him down on the bed, Richie swinging his legs up for him before Tessa covered him with a heavy blanket. She then sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. It was the last thing he saw before he died.

When he came back, Tessa was still sitting beside him holding his hand, although she had managed to get dressed while he was dead. Richie sat in a nearby chair, staring off into space. He, too, had put on clothes.

"Welcome back," she said as she smiled down at him. "How do you feel?"

Duncan pushed himself up higher in the bed. "Not too bad, just a little shaky. How long was I gone?"

"About forty minutes. You had us worried there for a while."

"You know me. I'm hard to get rid of. Takes more than a little poison to keep me down for long."

"Was your protein drink the only thing you had this morning?" Tessa asked. At his puzzled look she explained further. "I saw the glass in the bathroom."

"Yes, that's all I had."

Richie spoke for the first time. "I'm really sorry, Mac. I can't believe I tried to kill you. It's a good thing you're Immortal." Richie jumped to his feet and started pacing back and forth. "What if it had been Tessa who had drank it instead of you? I would've killed her." A shudder wracked his body at the thought.

Richie stopped next to the bed and his eyes focused on a spot a foot above Duncan's head. "I've been thinking about this and I've decided to leave before I do any more damage. I...I couldn't live with the guilt if I hurt Tessa."

Seeing the torment that filled the young man's face gave Duncan an overwhelming urge to pull Richie into his arms and shelter him from all this pain. He settled for grasping the teenager's hand. "You're not going anywhere. We don't know that you're the one doing any of these things," Duncan protested.

"Who else could it be?" Richie asked, trying to pull free from Duncan's hold, and still refusing to meet his eyes.

"I don't know. But if it is you, you're going to stay here where we can get you help," Duncan insisted.

"But what if I hurt Tessa?"

"I won't let you. Please trust us enough to help you. We'll go through the kitchen and throw out anything that could possibly contain poison. Then I'll take you to see a doctor this morning just in case there's a medical reason for your actions. Until we figure out what's happening, either Tessa or I will stay with you. You won't get a chance to do this again. I promise you."

Richie looked unconvinced. "Okay. But if one more thing happens, I'm outta here."

While Duncan finished recovering, Tessa and Richie went through the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator. Any open container was either poured down the sink or thrown in the trash. Even Richie had to admit that there was no chance of any of them getting poisoned by the remaining food. They had even emptied the salt and pepper shakers.

Once Duncan was on his feet, they went out for breakfast and then made a trip to the grocery store. They were just putting the last items away when Steven arrived. After a brief conversation, he and Tessa went to her workshop. Duncan called their family physician, Dr. Wickers, and was told that he could see Richie that morning if they could come right away. He told Tessa they were leaving before he and Richie headed for the car.

Hours later, Duncan glanced through the magazines scattered over the waiting room table, looking for something to occupy his mind. They had started in the doctor's office where he had been able to accompany Richie to the examining room. Now he was at the hospital waiting for the tests to be finished. Just when he thought he would die of boredom, he felt Richie's pre-Immortal buzz. The young man appeared through a door with a nurse and Duncan went over to join them.

"The test results will be sent to your doctor's office," the nurse explained. "You should contact them to set up another appointment to see Dr. Wickers."

"How long will it take before he has the results?" Duncan questioned.

"Usually it takes between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the test."

"Isn't there any way to get them sooner?" Duncan frowned at the nurse.

"You can try talking to your doctor. There's nothing I can do about it."

Duncan sighed as he recognized the truth of her statement. He had hoped to have an answer by now and was deeply disappointed at the thought of waiting several days to see if Richie's problem had a medical reason. He thanked the nurse before he and Richie left the hospital.

Richie remained silent during the trip home. It bothered Duncan to see the normally exuberant young man so subdued but he couldn't think of anything to say that would help the situation. Not even the promise of chili dogs for lunch brought a smile to Richie's face.

Duncan parked the car in a different spot than he normally did. Richie had suggested parking there since they were going right back out again. Duncan agreed with him-it was easier to make a turn there with the traffic light instead of coming out of the alley. All they needed to do was see if Tessa and Steven wanted to join them.

Duncan followed Richie through the door onto the catwalk. Duncan paused for a moment to look down at the antique store but a sharp cry from Richie swung his attention back to the catwalk. Duncan watched in horror as Richie pitched forward and fell head over heels down the stairs, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

"Richie!" he screamed as he ran across the catwalk and took the stairs two at a time. He knelt by the young man and felt for a pulse. A feeling of relief shot through him when he found it. Tessa and Steven had come running at the noise and Duncan told Tessa to call 911.

"Is there anything I can do?" Steven asked.

"Get one of the afghans from the living room," Duncan ordered. When Steven returned they carefully covered Richie. By this time Tessa had also returned.

"I told him this would happen," she exclaimed. "Just last night! Why didn't he listen to me?"

"He'll be fine, Tessa," Duncan said reassuringly, as he slipped an arm around her. "I know he will."

Richie's eyes fluttered open and he gave a low moan.

"Richie? Just take it easy and don't try to move. Help is on the way." Duncan placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, not only to keep him from moving but also to comfort him.

Richie's eyes focused for a brief moment on Duncan's face and then on Tessa's before closing again.

The distant sound of the ambulance siren intruded on the silence and Steven went to wait by the door. Soon two paramedics entered the shop and asked Duncan and Tessa to stand back.

Holding tightly to each other, Duncan and Tessa watched helplessly as the paramedics checked Richie for injuries before placing a neck brace around his neck, starting an IV, and strapping the young man to a backboard. Soon they were wheeling him out to the ambulance while Duncan and Tessa headed for the T-bird. Steven told them he would lock up the store and meet them at the hospital.

* HL *

Duncan paced around the hospital waiting room for the second time that day. It had been more than two hours since they had arrived and they still hadn't heard anything. Steven had one arm around Tessa's shoulders trying to comfort her. Duncan knew he should be the one to do that but he couldn't seem to sit still. He kept blaming himself for parking the car where he did, even if Richie had suggested it. If he had parked in the alley as usual, Richie wouldn't have fallen down those stairs. He could be seriously injured just because Duncan wanted to save a few minutes when they left. Lost in his self-recriminations, he missed hearing the nurse call his name. It took Tessa's touch to bring him back to the present.

Duncan and Tessa followed the nurse down the hallway, Steven opting to stay in the waiting room. She led them to a small office and introduced them to Dr. Mathers, a middle aged man with graying hair.

"Please have a seat," he told them.

"How is Richie?" Duncan was in no mood for idle conversation.

"For the most part, not too bad. He's got a concussion, bruised ribs, multiple contusions and abrasions, none of them severe. My biggest concern is the swelling around his spinal cord. We've already run an MRI scan and can find no indication of actual damage to the spinal cord itself. However, Richie has no feeling or movement below the waist."

"You mean he's paralyzed?" Tessa asked in horror, her hand clenching Duncan's tightly.

"I'm afraid so. But it may only be temporary," Dr. Mathers reassured them. "Once the swelling goes down, he may recover completely. I've started him on medication to help reduce the inflammation. Hopefully, that will do the trick."

"How soon will we know if it works?" Duncan asked.

"That varies greatly from one case to the next. However, if he hasn't improved within a week, his chances for full recovery are slim."

"What are his chances?" Duncan kept probing.

Dr. Mathers didn't answer for what seemed like an eternity. "There's a seventy percent chance that he won't recover the use of his legs."

Duncan and Tessa stared at the doctor in disbelief. Duncan found his voice first. "You're telling me that there's only a thirty percent chance that Richie will ever walk again?"

"I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you differently."

"Can we see him?" Tessa asked, fighting to keep back the tears. She knew that Richie would be upset if she went to his room with red, swollen eyes. She had to be strong for him.

"Of course. I'll have an aide show you to his room. They should have him settled in by now." He picked up the phone to summon her.

"One more question," Duncan said before leaving. "How much does Richie know?"

"Everything. He insisted on it. Why don't you go see him and if you have any more questions, just let the nurse know. Right now, the most important thing is that he gets a lot of rest. I've contacted your family physician and he will be in to see Richie later this evening."

Duncan and Tessa thanked the doctor and followed the aide up to Richie's room. Once inside, they walked over to the bed and stood there, staring down at the still figure lying in it. Except for the various tubes that ran into and out of his body and a vivid scrape across one cheek, the young man looked in perfect health. His eyes were closed but as Tessa picked up his hand, they sprang open.

"How do you feel?" Tessa asked, concern evident in her tone.

"A bit woozy." Richie managed a brief smile. "Whatever they gave me sure is strong. I bet I could make a fortune selling it on the streets. Just kidding," he added when Duncan scowled at him.

"What did I tell you about those stairs?" Tessa scolded him. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me. You could have been killed!"

"If there is a next time." Richie's face clouded up and he turned away.

Tessa gently grasped his chin and brought his face back around to look at her. "I refuse to believe anything else, Richie. You're too stubborn to let this stop you."

"You'll be chasing nurses down the hall in no time at all," Duncan chimed in. "They'll probably beg us to take you home."

Richie managed a small grin at that thought. As another thought crossed his mind, the smile disappeared. "One good thing about this," he said. "As long as I'm stuck in this bed, I can't be doing anything else bad. Now you don't have to baby-sit me."

Duncan scowled at him. "I'd rather have you home and well, even if I had to watch out for you, than have you here."

"I agree," Tessa said. "Richie, I need to go let Steven know how you are. He's been very worried too. I'll be back in a little while." She kissed his cheek before leaving the room.

Richie turned back to Duncan. "I'm not sure this was an accident."

"What do you mean, Richie?"

"What if I tried to kill myself? I remember thinking yesterday that maybe it would be better if I did fall down and break my neck. What if I threw myself down the stairs?"

Duncan thought back to what he had seen. The way Richie had pitched forward seemed to support that idea. If he had slipped, he would have fallen backward. And there was the fact that Richie had practically insisted that Duncan park the T-bird there so they had to go in that door. Duncan could see the fear in Richie's eyes but had no idea how to reassure him. How could he convince Richie that he hadn't tried to kill himself when Duncan couldn't even convince himself? "We'll figure this out somehow, Richie." The words sounded hollow to Duncan's ears.

Richie gave a sigh and closed his eyes. Duncan pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down. More than ten minutes passed before Richie opened his eyes again.

"Mac? What if I can't ever walk again? What will I do? Where will I live?" Fear and uncertainty made his voice quaver and unshed tears shone brightly in his eyes.

"Richie, people can live normal lives even if they're in a wheelchair. You may not be able to ride a motorcycle again, but there are ways to equip a car with hand-held controls. And you'll continue to live with us and work in the antique store." Duncan tried to reassure him.

"Think about it, Mac. Neither the store nor the apartment is set up for a wheelchair. There are steps everywhere!"

"We'll figure something out, remodel or buy a new place if we have to."

"You shouldn't have to. After all, I'm an adult now and it's not like I'm family or anything. You're not responsible for me."

Duncan reached out and took Richie's hand. "I know I don't *have* to but I *want* to. So will Tessa. And if you're not family...well, you're the next thing to it. But it's too early to worry about any of this. In a few days you could be up and running around, and all this worry would be for nothing. Now why don't you try to get some rest."

Richie once again closed his eyes but his hand maintained its grip on Duncan's.

As the time passed, Duncan's mind started nagging at him with his own worries. He knew that when people became Immortal, they kept the scars they already had, but what about this? If Richie did end up paralyzed, would that be fixed when he became Immortal? If it didn't, how long could he survive The Game if he was in an wheelchair? And should he condemn the active young man to even a mortal's lifetime in a wheelchair when there was a solution?

All he had to do was kill Richie, right here and now, and he should heal totally. But what were Richie's chances of surviving The Game if he entered it at such a young age? Could he cold-bloodedly kill the young man who had become his close friend? Did he have the right to even make this decision? Maybe he should tell Richie that he had the option, and let him decide. Duncan's mind kept whirling with all the different possibilities, unable to settle on a solution.

A soft touch on his shoulder startled him. He glanced around and saw Tessa standing behind him. She handed him a cup of coffee before walking over to look out the window. Ten minutes later, he stood up and eased his hand from Richie's. He strongly doubted that Tessa could be that entranced with a view of the hospital parking lot. He went to her and pulled her into a hug, giving as well as receiving comfort. As he drew back, he noticed the anger smoldering in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked softly, not wishing to disturb Richie.

Tessa shook her head. "Later," she promised as she glanced at the bed.

Duncan had a feeling that the reason she didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her had less to do with disturbing Richie's rest and more to do with him not hearing what she had to say. His curiosity piqued, he could barely refrain from badgering her for information.

Richie dozed on and off throughout the rest of the afternoon. Several times a nurse came in and asked Richie questions to test his level of awareness. She explained that it was just a precaution due to the concussion. At one point she gave Richie two pain pills, leaving once she had seen him swallow them. When his dinner tray arrived, Richie spent more time pushing the food around the plate than actually eating it. Richie looked almost relieved when the aide came back to pick up the tray. Dr. Wickers showed up ten minutes later and quickly examined Richie.

"Is there any improvement?" Duncan asked.

"Not yet, but I didn't really expect anything this early," Dr. Wickers informed them. "It will take some time for the swelling to go down. Duncan, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

Duncan followed the doctor to the hallway, shutting the door to Richie's room as he did so. "What's wrong, Dr. Wickers?"

"I'm sorry I have to ask this but, based on our discussion this morning, is there any chance that this was a suicide attempt?"

Duncan sighed and tried to decide how to answer. No magic writing appeared on the wall, no matter how hard he stared at it. "Yes, it's a possibility," he finally admitted.

"Then I'm afraid I have no choice. I'm going to have to order restraints put on Richie so he can't harm himself."

"Can't you just sedate him or something? Or I can stay with him all night and make sure he doesn't do anything," Duncan pleaded.

"I can't sedate him for at least 24 hours because of the concussion. It could cause Richie to go into a coma. And you can't watch him around the clock. You need to sleep, too. Trust me, Duncan, this is for the best." Dr. Wickers headed down the hallway towards the nurse's station.

Duncan went back into the room and found Tessa and Richie waiting anxiously. "What did he say?" Tessa asked first.

Duncan walked over to the bed and rested a hand on Richie's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rich, but Dr. Wickers insists on putting you in restraints."

"Why?" Tessa asked in confusion.

"Because I'm crazy," Richie stated bitterly.

"That's not the reason," Duncan protested weakly. "He just wants to make sure that you can't hurt yourself."

"Why would Richie hurt himself? Will someone please explain what's going on?" Tessa demanded.

"Tessa, there's a possibility that Richie might have deliberately thrown himself down the stairs," Duncan explained. "Dr. Wickers is afraid that Richie might try something else."

The orderly came in at that point and connected a set of restraints to the bed before fastening them around Richie's wrists. After checking that the call button was hooked to the bed within reach, he left.

Throughout the process, Richie kept his eyes shut but he opened them when it was over. He pulled a little at the restraints. "It's a good thing that dinner is over. These would make it a little difficult to eat," he joked in a hoarse voice, thick with unshed tears.

"You could always find a pretty nurse's aid to feed you." Duncan's voice shook a little despite his attempts to keep it steady. Watching Richie being restrained had affected him almost as much as it had affected the young man.

Fifteen minutes after the orderly left, Richie turned to Duncan and Tessa. "You guys don't have to hang around here all night. You haven't eaten yet. Why don't you go home," he suggested in a much calmer tone.

"We can get something to eat in the cafeteria here, Richie," Tessa protested. "We'll take turns so you won't have to be alone."

Richie looked at the two of them before sighing. "Don't take this wrong, but I'd kinda like to be alone for a while."

Duncan could see that Tessa was about to protest again but he understood Richie's feelings. Being in restraints was bad enough but having Tessa and Duncan witness this humiliation must be hard on the young man's pride. Plus he probably felt a need to work through the day's events in his own way without interruption. "If that's what you want, Rich. But if you need anything or just want to talk, have the nurses call us. It won't take us long to get here. Do you understand?"

Richie nodded. "Thanks, Mac."

Duncan took Tessa's hand and pulled her from the room.

After some discussion, Duncan and Tessa stopped at an Italian restaurant on the way home. Once the waiter had taken their orders, Duncan decided that it was time to appease his curiosity. Tessa had been quietly seething all afternoon. She had managed to hide it from Richie, but he knew her pretty well after twelve years.

"Why are you so upset?" he queried.

"It was something Steven said. When I told him Richie might not walk again, he started rambling on about how he was certain Richie could find someplace else to live and a new job. How it would be better for all concerned if we didn't have a criminal working for us." Tessa could feel her anger growing again as she recalled the earlier conversation.

"What!" Duncan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I hope you straightened him out!"

"Of course I did! I told him Richie *wasn't* a criminal. And that he would always have a home and a job with us. I know we haven't had a chance to discuss this yet, Duncan, but I would be willing to move if it meant keeping Richie with us. We can't desert him if he is paralyzed."

"Don't worry, Tessa. I told Richie the same thing while you were talking to Steven. Richie seems to think that we won't want him around if he's paralyzed." Duncan waited until the waiter served them their salads and had left again before continuing. "What did Steven have to say to that?"

"He seemed to get really upset. Started going on about how Richie would take up all my time and that my art would suffer. I told him that I didn't care, that Richie was more important than my art. That's when he got so mad that he left. I've been thinking about it all day and..." Tessa hesitated, uncertain that she wanted to continue.

"And?" Duncan prodded.

"What if Steven has been doing these things all along to make us kick Richie out? Making it look like Richie had stolen all those things and ordered the coat just so we would get mad enough to throw him out?"

"He was with us when Richie unpacked the figurine and I practically had to pry it out of his hands, he loved it so much. Plus we just finished discussing the bracelet he had bought for Alicia," Duncan said, feeling relief race through him at the thought that Richie might not be responsible for all these weird happenings after all.

"And he was with me when I debated giving Richie cash or a check. Steven was also there when Richie was raving about the leather coat he had seen while shopping."

"And the letter to Alicia attacked it from the other side, making Richie want to move out. I think you're on to something, Tessa. But what about the poison? He couldn't have known that I would be the only one to drink it. Or that it wouldn't have killed me. And what about the fact that the computer file was time stamped when he wasn't even there?"

"I don't know, Duncan. Maybe we're just grasping at straws because we don't want to believe that Richie might need psychiatric help. There were details in that letter to Alicia that *I* didn't know, so how could Steven? I can't even come up with a reason why he would be trying to drive Richie out of our lives. It can't just be the fact that Richie had a troubled childhood."

Once again, the waiter appeared and all conversation ceased. Once the salad plates had been whisked away, their entrees of cannelloni for Duncan and lasagna for Tessa were served. After leaving a basket of hot garlic breadsticks, the waiter departed.

The odors wafting up from their plates reminded them that neither had eaten lunch that day. For a while, conversation lagged as they both dug into their meal. Eventually, Tessa returned to the subject still on their minds.

"If it is Steven, how are we going to prove it? I can't just go up to him and ask if he set Richie up."

"We have to do something, Tessa!" Duncan insisted. "And if I find out that Steven is behind all of this, he'll go back to England in little pieces," Duncan vowed.

"If Steven is responsible, there won't be anything left for you to chop up once I get through with him," Tessa informed him with a grim face.

The waiter intruded again and Duncan turned the conversation to less private matters. Soon dinner was over and they returned home.

Duncan led the way inside, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that seemed out of place. He told Tessa to stay in the living room while he looked over the rest of the building. The last thing he checked was the top of the stairs where Richie had fallen. On the drive home, his mind kept recreating the sequence of events leading to the fall and it finally occurred to him that Richie might have tripped over something. He couldn't find any evidence of this although he did remember that Steven had stayed behind to lock up the store before following them to the hospital. He could have removed any evidence then. Disappointed at the lack of proof, he returned to the living room.

Duncan woke early again the next morning and, like the day before, he slipped out of bed and went to work out. He knew that he had to come to a decision about whether he should tell Richie that he would become Immortal and let him decide his fate one way or another. Duncan was fairly certain which way the young man would choose but felt sure that it would be a hasty decision that would come back to haunt both of them later.

Richie still looked upon Immortality as a wonderful thing. That had been very evident the day he had caught the youth waving around his katana on the barge. No matter how much Duncan tried to warn him, Richie couldn't possibly understand the implications of living for centuries, always having to hide the fact that he was Immortal and never aged, that other Immortals would be after him, or that he would have to kill to survive. Even worse, Richie wouldn't grasp the fact that he would be stuck in a teenager's body forever and the disadvantages that would bring, especially in a sword fight. The only thing that would matter to him is that he would be able to walk again.

His workout complete, Duncan realized that he had come to a decision. One that both he and Richie might have to live with for a very long time. He wouldn't tell the young man about his Immortality. If Richie didn't recover the use of his legs, he would have to accept being in a wheelchair as a way of life. If or when he became Immortal, if the paralysis remained, Duncan would do whatever he could to ensure Richie's safety, for the rest of his life if necessary. Of course, when Richie found out that Duncan had condemned him to an eternity in a wheelchair, there would be hell to pay. Still, he felt the best thing to do would be to let fate run its course.

Several hours later, Duncan sat in the office doing research on a vase that he had bought the previous week. Tessa had gone to the hospital to be with Richie, leaving Duncan behind to confront Steven if he showed up. He had managed to convince Tessa that it would be better if he talked to Steven by himself first.

A noise from Tessa's workshop drew his attention and he got up to investigate. He never heard the shots fired from the silenced gun. All he felt was the impact as two bullets tore into his body, one in his right thigh, the other in his left shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. He struggled to stay conscious as his eyes searched the workshop for the intruder.

When Steven walked out into the open, Duncan realized that he had badly underestimated the man and his intent. It wasn't just Richie he had been trying to get rid of, it had been both of them. The poison had been meant to kill him and would have succeeded except for his Immortality. There was only one question remaining and Duncan forced the word out through clenched teeth. "Why?"

"Because Tessa wants to be with *me*, not you. She only came with you because you could support her while she built up a reputation as an artist. I couldn't afford to do that back then but I can now. We can be together finally. All these years, she's loved me and not you. When she makes love to you, she thinks of me. It's the only way she could possibly stand your touch."

Duncan felt a cold chill run through him at the insanity glowing in Steven's eyes. "If Tessa wants to be with you, why do you have to kill me and drive Richie off?"

"Tessa is too soft hearted. I knew she wouldn't leave you because she would feel an obligation to you for supporting her all these years. Therefore, I had to kill you. I still don't understand why the poison didn't work. As for Ryan, I was afraid that she wouldn't come back with me if he didn't have a job or a place to live. She might have even kept the antique store going just to give him a job. With both of you out of the way, she would have gladly come back to England with me."

Steven started pacing back and forth, maintaining his distance from the Immortal as he continued his raving. "This should have been a lot easier than it was. First I tried to show Tessa just how uncouth Richie was when we went out to eat together. I must admit, he did surprise me at how well he handled himself. It must have taken months for Tessa to teach him how to act in such a civilized manner. So then I took the money from Tessa's wallet and the figurine from the shop and planted them in Richie's room. With Richie's record, you should have suspected him right away. That leather coat should have been the final push you needed to kick him out. But no, you had to make it difficult. I finally decided to hire a private investigator to get hold of Richie's records so that I could send that letter to his girlfriend."

Duncan could feel his pain ebbing and knew that his body was healing. He stalled for more time. "How did you plant the letter on our computer? You weren't here when it was written."

"That was easy," Steven gloated. "I wrote the letter on my laptop, changed the clock on the machine and then saved it. All I had to do was copy it onto a floppy and then load it to your machine. It took just a few seconds of time when you weren't in your office. But even that wasn't enough to send him packing. Fortunately, Tessa gave me an idea when she complained about how he always came down those stairs. I just can't believe the kid's luck. Anyone else would have died in that fall."

"*You* staged that fall? You bastard!" Duncan struggled to sit up, intent on seeking revenge. When Steven raised his gun and pointed it at him, Duncan laid back again. "He could be paralyzed for the rest of his life! Do you really think Tessa will abandon him now?"

"He won't be paralyzed for much longer. Poor Richie. The hospital is about to give him the wrong medication." Steven pulled a syringe from his pocket. "For the right price, you can buy any kind of drugs you want. Tessa will be upset, but I'll be there to console her, just like I was yesterday at the hospital. It was me she turned to, not you."

"How do you think you can get away with this? The police will be after you for killing me and Richie. If you stop this now, I won't say anything to the police and you'll be free to go home." Duncan tried to reach for any sanity still existing in Steven.

"I'll make this look like a robbery. As for Richie, the hospital will be blamed. Any final questions?"

"What did you do with the bracelet Richie bought?"

"That trinket? I threw it in the trash can outside. It's probably on its way to the city dump by now."

Duncan tried to figure out how to stop Steven. His body had healed but Steven stood over ten feet away. Before Duncan could reach him, he would have ample opportunity to shoot. If Steven killed him, his next stop would be the hospital. While Duncan didn't want Richie to be killed, his biggest worry now was that Tessa was also there. There would be no way that Tessa would let Steven harm Richie without trying to stop him. In almost slow motion, he watched Steven aim his gun, saw the finger squeeze the trigger. He felt the impact as two more bullets ripped into his chest, killing him this time.

* HL *

Duncan gave a gasp as he came back to life. For a moment, he couldn't remember what had happened and then the memories came flooding back. Ignoring the agony that any movement still caused as his body finished healing, he forced himself to his feet. He headed for his car but stopped as he realized that showing up at a hospital with bloody clothes and no injuries wouldn't be very smart. He changed directions and stumbled back into the office and then into the shop. Destruction met his eyes. Steven had destroyed several glass cabinets as part of his staged robbery. Duncan ignored the damage and continued on to the living quarters. By the time he reached his bedroom, the pain was gone, and he quickly changed clothes before running to his T-bird.

Duncan figured that he had been dead for at least thirty minutes. What he didn't know was how long Steven had taken to trash the shop. It would now be a race across town to try to stop him before he harmed Tessa or Richie. A race Duncan couldn't afford to lose. He was halfway across town before he realized that he could have called the police or the hospital and had them send someone to protect Richie and Tessa. He was just too used to protecting them on his own.

Duncan careened into the hospital parking lot and pulled up to the emergency entrance. Leaving the car where it stood, he raced through the door and headed for the stairs ignoring the yells coming from a receptionist sitting by the door. He burst through the door onto the fourth floor, breathing heavily but not out of breath, and almost crashed into Tessa, who was carrying a cup of coffee down the hallway. He grabbed her arms to steady her. "Is Steven here?"

"I haven't seen him but I just got back from the cafeteria. You don't think that..." Tessa looked at Duncan in horror.

Duncan and Tessa ran down the hall and into Richie's room. Steven stood on the far side of the bed, emptying the contents of the syringe into the IV tube. Richie had a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth and was pulling desperately against the restraints around his wrist, a look of terror in his eyes. The nurse's call button had been unhooked and tossed on the floor, preventing Richie from summoning aid.

"NO!" Duncan yelled, praying he wasn't too late.

Steven looked up and went pale when he saw Duncan. "You're dead...I killed you," he muttered in shock. Recovering his senses, he dashed around the bed, heading straight for where Tessa was standing.

Duncan pulled Tessa out of Steven's path, opening an escape path to the door, which Steven quickly took advantage of. Duncan let him go, knowing that his first concern was stopping whatever had been in the syringe from reaching Richie's blood stream. Yelling at Tessa to get a nurse, he ran over to the bed and grabbed the needle where the IV entered the young man's arm and yanked it out, not taking the time to be gentle about it. Then he pulled the handkerchief from Richie's mouth.

"Mac...he...tried..." Richie struggled to keep his eyes open.

"I know. Try to stay awake, Rich." Even as Duncan said this, Richie's eyes closed and didn't reopen. "Richie? ...Richie?" Duncan lightly slapped the young man's face but even that didn't rouse him.

A nurse appeared and Duncan quickly told her about the shot that Steven had administered. She moved briskly to Richie's side and started taking his vitals. Knowing that there was nothing more he could do for him, Duncan headed after Steven.

Entering the hall, he saw Steven being detained by an orderly. An overturned cart and a very expensive looking machine lying on the floor was the apparent source of the conflict. Even as Duncan approached the pair, Steven pulled free from the orderly and ran towards the stairwell exit. Duncan ran after him but before he reached the door, he heard a loud yell followed by thumping noises. Opening the door, he saw Steven lying crumpled on the landing below him. The unnatural angle of his head told Duncan all he needed to know. The irony of Steven dying in the same manner as he had tried to kill Richie didn't escape Duncan. As two orderlies came running up the stairs, he turned away and headed back to Richie's room.

Tessa stood by the window, a worried look on her face, watching the crowd of medical staff gathered around Richie's bed. Duncan moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist as he looked over at Richie. The young man's face was so pale that Duncan feared Steven had succeeded in his efforts to kill Richie.

Tessa glanced up at Duncan. "Steven?" she whispered.

Duncan shook his head. "He's dead, Tessa. He fell down the stairs and broke his neck," he whispered back. He could feel her shudder as she absorbed the news.

One of the nurses finished drawing a blood sample and took it and the syringe Steven had used to the lab. Dr. Mathers turned to Duncan and Tessa. "Do you have any idea what was in the syringe?"

They both shook their heads. Tessa and Duncan watched anxiously as medical equipment was wheeled into the room. Soon Richie was hooked up to an EKG machine and an oxygen mask was placed over his face. So intent were they on watching everything being done to Richie that the strident ring of the telephone caused them both to jump. Dr. Mathers grabbed the phone. Duncan watched him closely, searching for any body language sign to indicate whether the news was good or bad. It wasn't until the phone had been hung up and the doctor turned around, that Duncan could tell anything.

Smiling broadly, Dr. Mathers came over to talk to them. "The lab said that the syringe was filled with a very powerful sedative but very little got into Richie's blood stream. He will probably sleep for a few hours but that's the worse of it. We'll keep a close eye on him until he wakes up just to be on the safe side, though."

As the doctor turned away to give instructions concerning Richie's care, Duncan pulled Tessa into a deep embrace. He felt like a giant weight had lifted from his shoulders. It had been too close but Richie's mortal life would continue. Once again Duncan had managed to keep the grim specter of Immortality from the youth.

Slowly the room emptied of all but Duncan and Tessa and the nurse who was still monitoring Richie's condition. When she started to fasten the restraints that had been removed during the treatment, Duncan protested.

"There's no need for those anymore," he insisted.

"I'm sorry, but the doctor's orders specifically state that he's to be kept restrained," the nurse tried to explain.

"I don't care what the doctor's orders state!" Duncan glared at the nurse and pulled the restraints from the bed, not caring if they broke. "You're not going to put those on him again."

A light knock came at the door and the orderly who had stopped Steven in the hall came into the room and informed them that the police were waiting in the lounge and wanted to talk to Duncan. He also asked if Duncan owned the car blocking the emergency room door. When Duncan admitted it, the orderly asked him to move it as soon as possible or it would be towed away. With one final glare at the nurse, Duncan went to talk to the police. As he left the room, he could hear Tessa explaining to the nurse, why the restraints weren't needed.

Duncan hurriedly concocted a story that he hoped the police would believe. He told them most of what Steven had said, that they had fought and Steven had knocked him out long enough to tie him up and left him at the antique shop, saying he would come back and finish him off once he had taken care of Richie. Duncan then told them that he managed to get untied and had hurried to the hospital to stop Steven.

The police also questioned Tessa briefly while Duncan went out to move the T-bird to the parking lot. When they were done asking her questions, they called Duncan back in and told him that no charges would be filed. The orderly who had stopped Steven had also heard his yell and had told the police that Duncan was still in the corridor at the time.

Once the police had left, Duncan filled Tessa in on what had happened earlier in the shop. "He was insane, Tessa. He kept insisting that you still loved him and would come back with him once Richie and I were out of the way. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"Duncan, I knew him better than you did and he had me fooled, too. I'm sorry that he died-he was a good friend once. But I'm glad that it's over," Tessa admitted.

"It will be over if-no," Duncan corrected himself, "when Richie walks again. Speaking of which, why don't we go see how he's doing."

Once they were back in Richie's room, the nurse reassured them that he was doing fine and there was no reason to worry. She had wisely decided not to put the restraints back on. She suggested that they go get something to eat while they waited for the young man to wake up.

Neither of them felt like eating until they were sure that Richie had recovered but they went to the cafeteria anyway. They both ordered chef's salads and coffee and, while they ate, Duncan told Tessa about the damage to the shop.

"Honestly, Duncan," Tessa complained. "There are times when I wonder if we will ever be able to open the shop back up. And with Richie out of commission, it will take even longer."

"We'll manage. If necessary, you can set up a booth at the mall and do caricatures of people for ten bucks a sketch," Duncan teased her.

"Well, I suppose if we do run short of money, you could always sell the T-bird," Tessa teased right back.

They both looked at each other and started to laugh. Feeling better, they attacked their lunch with renewed appetites.

On the way back to the room, they stopped in at the gift shop in the lobby of the hospital. Duncan found a motorcycle magazine that he didn't think Richie had yet, while Tessa picked out a flower arrangement to brighten his room. At Duncan's skeptical look, she showed him the box of chocolates that she also intended to buy. After paying for the gifts they headed back to Richie's room.

When they got there, they discovered Richie awake although not totally alert yet. They walked over to the bed, unable to keep from smiling in relief. Tessa placed the chocolates and the flowers on the table by the bed before kissing Richie on the cheek and brushing a stray lock of hair back off his face. Duncan settled for clasping Richie's hand.

"Hey, tough guy," Duncan said. "How're you feeling?"

"Confused. What was that all about?" Richie frowned at him.

Duncan glanced over at the nurse standing on the other side of the bed. "I'll tell you all about it later, when you're feeling better," he promised. Duncan handed him the magazine that he bought. "Here, this should keep you busy for a while."

Richie's face lit up briefly when he saw the cover. "Thanks, Mac." He flipped through a few pages before letting it fall to his lap as if it had taken too much energy to hold the magazine up.

Duncan moved chairs closer to the bed and he and Tessa sat down. "It's got an article about the Saracen racing team," Duncan said as he tried to stir Richie's interest. He knew that Richie had been an avid follower of the team while they had lived in Paris.

"I'll read it later," Richie replied in a monotone.

Duncan wondered if Richie's apathy was due to the sedative or whether the magazine had been a bad choice. A motorcycle magazine would only emphasize what the teenager would be missing if he remained paralyzed. Once again, Duncan started mentally chastising himself.

The nurse left five minutes later and Richie barely waited until she had closed the door before demanding answers. Duncan told him everything that had happened. Richie's face grew brighter with each word.

Richie gave a big sigh of relief once he was through. "So Steven did all those things instead of me?" Duncan nodded. "Because of him, I might not walk again! I might have been killed falling down those stairs! And then he tried to kill me again!" Richie's eyes darkened as he remembered the terror and helplessness he had felt earlier when he had watched Steven inject something into his IV.

Duncan placed a comforting hand on Richie's shoulder. "He's dead, Rich. He won't be able to hurt you any more."

"Dying was too easy-he deserved to rot in jail the rest of his life," Richie stated bitterly.

"I'm so sorry, Richie," Tessa apologized as tears trickled down her face. "I feel so responsible for all of this. He was my friend and he tried to hurt you. How can you ever forgive me?"

"Hey, Tess, I don't blame you!" Richie hurried to assure her. There was something about Tessa in tears that made his insides feel all jumbled up. Whenever that happened, he always turned to humor as his best defense. "You can't help the fact that you're so gorgeous, you drive men crazy. Steven never had a chance!"

Tessa rewarded Richie's effort with a small smile while drying her eyes with a tissue.

"Hey! This means I'm not crazy, right?" Richie continued. "Now I don't have to see that head shrinker friend of yours, Mac."

"Well, I still think you're crazy half of the time," Duncan teased him. "Especially when you don't follow orders. Maybe Sean can help you see the error of your ways."

"What I don't understand," Tessa said, going back to the original subject. "is why Steven tried to use poison. I might have drank it instead of you. He couldn't have known that you were the only one that drank that awful protein stuff."

"He knew because I told him," Richie confessed. "I found him holding the bottle one day and warned him about how bad it tasted."

"It doesn't taste bad! I don't understand what you two have against it. That protein drink is good for you."

Tessa and Richie made identical faces of disgust, which caused them to start laughing. Duncan picked up Richie's magazine, rolled it up and playfully swatted the young man on his leg.

"Ow!" Richie yelped and grabbed the magazine back. "Don't do that."

Duncan stared at him wide eyed for a moment until his brain and mouth reconnected. "Did you feel that, Richie?"

"Of course I did. You hit me." Richie looked confused.

"Are you sure?" Duncan placed his hand on Richie's leg and squeezed gently. "Can you feel this?"

Richie finally realized what was happening. "Yeah! I can feel it! I don't believe it."

"I'm going to ask the nurses to contact Dr. Wickers and let him know," Duncan said as he stood up.

"Let me know what?"

Duncan turned around and saw Dr. Wickers standing in the doorway. "Richie has some feeling in his legs."

"Okay, let's just check it out." Dr. Wickers moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the covers back from Richie's feet. He tested the young man's reflexes before asking him to try to wiggle his toes.

Duncan and Tessa moved closer to the bed, their total attention riveted on Richie's toes. After what seemed like an eternity, they moved. Not much, but there was definite movement.

Dr. Wickers smiled broadly as he covered Richie's feet again. "Well, it looks very good, Richie. It's a little early to tell, but now there's a strong chance of total recovery. However," Dr. Wickers' smile changed to a scowl, "I don't want you to try moving your legs yet. The less stress you put on your back the better. Do you understand?"

Richie nodded in agreement.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow," Dr. Wickers said as he started to leave the room. He turned back at the last moment. "Oh, by the way, Duncan, I would appreciate it if you didn't frighten any more nurses during Richie's stay here. Especially when they're just following orders." With a last parting grin he left the room.

Duncan looked down at Richie. The young man's face was filled with such a look of joy that it took his breath away. Tessa's face reflected the same joy and he had a feeling that his probably looked the same.

The three of them quietly celebrated for a while. Soon Duncan announced that he had to get back to the shop to start cleaning up the mess that Steven had created. Tessa decided to stay with Richie until dinnertime.

When Duncan pulled into the alley behind the shop, he was reminded of something else he wanted to do. He changed into some old clothes first, cleaned up the blood stains from where he had been shot and then went back out to the alley. He carried the four large trash cans back into Tessa's workshop and dumped the first one on the floor.

Tessa came home two hours later. "What are you doing?" she asked when she saw the garbage strewn over the floor.

Duncan looked up from the contents of the third trash can. "Steven said he tossed the bracelet in the trash can. I thought that I might be able to find it," he said somewhat sheepishly.

Tessa threw him a look that made it clear she thought he was crazy. Without saying anything she went up the stairs to the kitchen. Duncan returned to his garbage sorting. Ten minutes later, Tessa returned, now dressed in old clothes and wearing rubber gloves on her hands. She got down on her hands and knees by Duncan and started helping. They were well into the final trash can when Tessa gave a cry of discovery and held up the gold bracelet triumphantly.

Tessa took the bracelet to the kitchen to clean while Duncan picked up the rest of the trash and hauled the cans back to the alley. A deep sense of satisfaction filled him. Most of the damage that Steven had caused had been fixed. Richie would walk again and the secret of his Immortality was still safe. While the Dresden figurine was beyond repair, the recovery of the bracelet might help Richie forget about that. The leather coat had been returned for full credit and the damage to the shop could be fixed.

The only remaining problem was Alicia. Duncan debated talking to the young woman and telling her how much Richie had changed from the street punk and thief she had received the letter about. Maybe she would agree to see him again. He just wasn't sure if Richie would want to see her again. The damage had been done and Duncan was afraid that Richie and Alicia's relationship was beyond repair. When he talked it over with Tessa over dinner, she agreed that it would be best to just let it drop.

Duncan was glad that he hadn't talked to Alicia when they walked into Richie's room the next day and found the young man flirting with the nurse's aide who had brought him his lunch tray. Obviously, Richie wasn't quite as heartbroken as they had thought. Tessa showed off the bracelet to Richie, telling him that they had found it hidden in the shop. Duncan had threatened dire things if Tessa told Richie that they had searched through trash cans for it.

Richie made rapid improvement and three days later they had two things to celebrate. Richie was released from the hospital and turned nineteen on the same day. His gift from Duncan and Tessa was a leather jacket. Not the twelve hundred dollar one but definitely nicer than any he would have bought himself.

Within a week, there was no indication that Richie had ever been hurt. Soon the antique shop was ready to open and Duncan decided they deserved a night out. They went to a nice restaurant for dinner and then to a popular bar in the area.

Duncan and Tessa sat at the bar drinking wine while Richie roamed around, trying to meet girls. Tessa had just suggested to Duncan that maybe they should go home when Richie came up with a young blonde woman.

"Hey guys," Richie said. "I would like you to meet..."

"Hello, I'm Greta," the blonde woman interrupted him. "I'm the seventh daughter of the seventh son..."

The end.


End file.
